Fuel, Mixture Formation and Combustion Process, Vol. 1 No. 2 (2019) p. 1-8 FMC Fuel, Mixture Formation and Combustion Process Journal homepage : www.fazpublishing.com/fmc e-ISSN : 2672-7331 Desalination of Seawater by using Polyamide Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membranes Rais Hanizam Madon1,*, Nur Hanis Hayati Hairom1, Nor Afzanizam Samiran1, Nik Normunira Mat Hassan1, Zuliazura Mohd Salleh1, Nurasyikin Misdan1, Mas Fawzi2, Mohd Azahari Razali2, MZahar Abd Jalal2, Abdul Wahab Mohammad3 1Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Pagoh Education Hub, KM 1 Jalan Panchor, 84600 Pagoh , Johor, Malaysia 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia 3Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Build Enviroment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia *Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] Received 02 July 2019; Abstract: This research was focused on the characterization of the seawater’s parameters, Accepted 30 August 2019; flux and salt rejection RS rate, and energy correlation with the RO membrane systems. Available online 30 September The United Nations Environment Programmed (UNEP) reported that from now until 2019 2027, approximately 1/3 of the world’s population will suffer serious water scarcity problems, due to the rising demand for fresh water caused by world-wide population growth and industrial and agricultural contamination. The seawater desalination using RO membrane is believed to encounter the fresh water scarcity. The seawater’s parameters was characterize using Inductive Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The pure water permeation and seawater flux, and salt rejection R was determined from the reverse S osmosis (RO) water and seawater samples at room temperature with a Sterlitech dead-end filtration. The results, showed that the flux and salt rejection rate of the membrane increased linearly and directly proportional to the net operating pressure. Thus, water flows in the reverse direction to the natural flow across the membrane, leaving the dissolved salts behind with an increase in salt concentration. VPSEM characterization verified that membrane with good pores size formation and interconnectivity show good permeation of flux and salt rejection. As the TDS goal is 1000mg/l (fresh water), the Polyamide RO AK membrane is the best membrane performance accordingly to its highest flux ratio and salt rejection rate compared to the net operating pressure. Keywords: desalination, RO membrane, flux rate, salt rejection, permeate Keywords: 1. Introduction Water is the backbone of the global economy, with sustainable suffer serious water scarcity problems. This is due to the rising high quality supplies being vital for agriculture, industry, demand for fresh water caused by world-wide population growth. recreation, energy production, and domestic consumption. The Hence the contamination from increasing of industrial and U.S. Geological Survey found that 96.5% of Earth’s water is agricultural demands make it becomes worse. The consequences located in seas, 1.7% in the ice caps, 1% represents brackish water of water scarcity felt in arid and semiarid areas of the planet, also and only 0.8% is considered to be fresh water [1-3]. Based on be noticeable in coastal regions undergoing rapid growth, as well United Nations Environment Programmed (UNEP), from now as in the larger cities in the developing [3-6]. Intensive efforts are until 2027 approximately one-third of the world’s population will underway throughout the world to avert this looming crisis, by *Corresponding author: [email protected] 2019 FAZ Publishing. All right reserved. Madon R.H. et al., Fuel, Mixture Formation and Combustion Process, Vol. 1 No. 2 (2019) p. 1-8 improving the effectiveness and efficiency of water purification fouling) caused by salt precipitation. The main items need to be technology in order to produce clean water and protect the concern is that RO still hampered by at least three key obstacles environment in a sustainable manner. This conservation of the membrane fouling, high energy consumption and limited water existing limited fresh water supply is available from seawater recovery [10,11,13]. In the last 20 years a lot of improvements through various desalting technologies [5-7]. have been made in the RO process, which are reflected in the Desalination processes significantly contribute solving the dramatic reduction of both capital and operation costs. Most of the problem of water shortage by supplying water for municipal, progress has been made through improvements in membranes tourist, agricultural and industrial uses. Hence the desalination themselves. These typically include better resistance to plants preserve and extend natural water resources freeing up compression, longer life, higher possible recovery, improved flux, water for agriculture, riverbed reclamation, recreational areas and and improved salt passage. forest [2-3,6-8]. Today, some countries depend on desalination The early research was directed towards the development of technologies for the purpose of meeting their fresh water a satisfactory membrane, initially for brackish water and later requirements. In the Middle East, seawater desalination is a vital seawater. The development work was undertaken by companies and dependable fresh water resource in countries such as Saudi specializing in membrane manufacturing [7,8]. Malaysia as one of Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait [9-12]. Furthermore, it the rapid develop country also needs to investigate the is likely that desalination will continue to grow in popularity in desalination by using RO membrane as precaution methods if the Middle East [5-7]. Basically, desalination can be defined as a there is any risks for lacking of fresh water resources due to process of removing salt from water to produce fresh water. Fresh community demands and pollutions. This is reliable since there water is defined as containing less than 1000 mg/L of salts or total are a lot of seawater sources and also there was no data shown for dissolved solids (TDS) [1-3]. The desalination processes can be these studies. categorized into two major types, phase-change thermal and membrane process separation. Some of the phase-change 2. Experimentals processes include multi-stage flash, multiple effect boiling, vapor compression, freezing, humidification/dehumidification and solar 2.1. Characterize the Seawater’s Parameters stills. Membrane based processes include reverse osmosis (RO), The sea water sample used in this study were obtained from the membrane distillation (MD) and electro dialysis (ED). The Melaka Straits and focusing on coastal region (Pulau Besar required pressure depends on the salt concentration of the resource Island). of saline solution, it is normally around 55 till 70 bar for seawater desalination [6-8]. The concepts of osmosis and reverse osmosis 2.1.1 Total suspended solid (TSS) have been known for many years. In fact, studies on osmosis were The Total Suspended Solid is determined through this method. carried out as early as 1748 by the French scientist Nollet, and The Whatman Nylon Membrane Filters (0.45µm) with diameter many researchers investigated these phenomena over the next two 47mm is dry in oven at 105 C for one hour. In order to ensure the centuries. However, the use of reverse osmosis (RO) as a feasible membrane filters is free from moisture, it’s located into dessicator separation process is a relatively young technology. In fact, only for 30minutes. Then the membrane filter is weight for every 10 in the late 1950’s did the work of Reid show that cellulose acetate minutes interval until it gives constants reading. By using suction RO membranes were capable of separating salt from water, even pump, 100 ml of RO water is filter, passing through the membrane though the water fluxes obtained were too small to be practical. filter. Finally, 100 ml of sea water is filter through membrane Then, in the early 1960’s, Loeb and Sourirajan developed a filter. The TSS reading is in mg/l and the result is obtained based method for making asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes with on this equation. relatively high water fluxes and separations, thus making RO separations both possible and practical [9-12]. Reverse osmosis W −W TSS = ( a b) × 1000 (RO) membrane is regarded as the most economical, energy L efficiency process and popular desalination way for water (1) production mainly due to the advancement of membrane technology [10-13]. The RO can be defined as a pressure-driven Where Wa is weight after (gm), Wb for weight before (gm) and L process that separates two solutions with different concentrations is represent 0.1 liter (L). across a semi-permeable membrane. In the RO process, a semi permeable membrane is used for separation of particles sizes of 2.1.2 Inductive Couple Plasma (ICP) equipment test 5×103–1×104 μm, including single charge ions such as Na+ and Cl- parameters . The separation is driven under high pressures, not more than 7.0 The analysis is done for sample before and after desalination MPa and should be higher than the transmembrane osmotic process and only sample at maximum operating pressure (20 bars) pressure [11-14]. is analyzed. This analytes is obtained from Inductive Couple Furthermore, in the Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane Plasma Mass Spectrometry ELAN 9000 / Perkin Elmer Sciex [15]. process, the osmotic pressure is overcome by applying external pressure higher than the osmotic pressure on the seawater. Thus, 2.2. Characterize the RO Membrane for Membrane water flows in the reverse direction to the natural flow across the Permeability membrane, leaving the dissolved salts behind with an increase in salt concentration and no heating or phase separation change is 2.2.1 Standard Sodium Chloride (NaCl) solution as control necessary. Hence the only major energy required for desalting is For control spec of the sea water sample TDS, a standard Sodium for pressurizing the seawater feed [7-9].